What Your Child Should Know By Kindergarten

Wondering what your
child really needs to know before starting Kindergarten? To find out, we went
to the experts, our Teacher Moms. Here’s some of the great advice they shared
on what you can do to get your child ready for kindergarten.

Colors, Shapes,
Numbers, Letters

“The year before
kindergarten is the time to learn important skills, such as tracing the shapes
of letters and numbers on paper, following simple instructions, recognizing the
title of a book, and matching rhyming sounds.” –Ms. Whieley of Toad-ally
Exceptional Learners

“I would be thrilled
if my students came to kindergarten already knowing their colors, how to count
to at least 10 (and not just say the numbers, it's important that they have
one-to-one correspondence, meaning that if they say ‘5’ they're actually
touching the fifth object rather than saying ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5!’ when there are
only three things being counted).” –Jennifer Knopf of Herding Kats in
Kindergarten

“Read books together.
Pointing to words as you read helps them learn to track as you read,
differentiate words and letters and learn directionality (basic concepts of
print).” –Melissa of Plug-n-Plan

Basic Self Care

“Some basic things
that can help an upcoming kindergartener. . . include basic self-help skills.
By this I mean knowing how to tie shoes, bathroom care, and similar skills.”
-–Melissa of Plug-n-Plan

Social Skills

“As a kindergarten
teacher, I encourage parents to make sure they provide plenty of opportunities
for their child to socialize and interact in groups of children. It can be
quite a shock to a child becoming one of 20 or so, especially if they've never
been a part of a large group before.” –Krissy Miner of Mrs. Miner’s
Kindergarten Monkey Business

“Along with learning
letters, sounds, numbers, and rhymes, new social experiences like taking turns
and going to school for an entire day need to be considered.” -Ms. Whieley of
Toad-ally Exceptional Learners

Fine Motor Skills and
School Tools

“Be sure to give them
plenty of chances to practice and ‘play’ with school tools (glue sticks, drip
glue, markers, scissors, etc...). Not only will these be great skills to have,
but it will allow them to focus more on the learning and work involved versus
how to use or just explore these items.” –Krissy Miner of Mrs. Miner’s
Kindergarten Monkey Business